1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of manual transmission gear shift mechanisms, particularly to devices for holding a gear shift lever against inadvertent movement such as may occur during transport or installation in a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A device for preventing theft of a motor vehicle is described in German Offenlegungsschrift 2700976. The device includes packing adjacent the gear shift lever mounting, brought by rotation of the lever to an arresting position where further movement of the lever is prevented.
The packing acts through bolts on arresting levers, pivotably supported on the gear shift mounting, urging the arresting lever to a position where they positively engage and hold the gear shift lever. In this position, the packing must be secured in its rotated location by a closure cylinder.
That anti-theft device is relatively complicated, expensive to produce and difficult to assemble. Consequently, it cannot be used as a transportation and adjustment protector, which must be simple to apply and to remove during motor vehicle assembly and installation.
It is conventional practice to secure the gear shift lever of a manual transmission in a specific position using a transportation and adjustment protector device so that perfect coordination is guaranteed when producing a connection joining the portion of the gear shift mechanism that is external to the transmission housing and the internal gear shift portion of the mechanism. The transmission and adjustment protector is currently constructed in the form of a simple snap-on cap packing member, which fixes the gear shift lever in its neutral position in a radial slot through resilient holding tongues.
Due to jarring and rough transport to the assembly site and during installation, the gear shift lever may be moved repetitively, but unintentionally, from its intended position due to impact and inability of resilient holding tongues to locate positively the shift lever and to hold the intended position.